EAST HANOVER, N.J., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Phil Keoghan, host of "The Amazing Race," and the women cyclists of the professional "NOW and Novartis for MS" team are joining with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation for a second year in a row to raise awareness of MS. The campaign, "Together in MS," will support the MS community and show that MS does not have to define the more than 400,000 people in the U.S. living with the disease.

This year, Together in MS will partner Keoghan and a group of world class, professional women cyclists with people living with MS to ride tandem bicycles in National MS Society Bike MS events across the country. Keoghan will ride tandem with Regina Lyalls, a dedicated mother, passionate MS advocate, and driven professional who refuses to let her relapsing MS define her.

"I am a passionate MS advocate, and raising awareness for MS is something that I've been involved with for years," said Keoghan. "Novartis shares my longstanding commitment, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to work together once again to educate and empower people living with this potentially disabling disease. Riding tandem with Regina is going to be a thrill. She's an incredible woman and an inspiration to us all."

Lyalls, Keoghan's tandem cycling partner, has a unique and very meaningful connection to the Bike MS program. "I signed up for my first ride before I knew I had MS," said Lyalls. "On the same day I received my registration packet, my doctor called with my MS diagnosis. But I didn't let my MS define me then and I'm looking forward to riding tandem with Phil to show others living with MS that they can still aspire to do great things."

The tandem cycling tour begins on May 12 near Minneapolis-St. Paul with five stops nationwide. In each city, Novartis will host rallies open to ride participants and local MS community members and supporters. Attendees will have the chance to meet with the team as well as learn valuable tips from the professional riders.

"Together in MS is an exciting opportunity for Novartis and our way to support people with multiple sclerosis and their loved ones," said Andre Wyss, President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. "We are committed to supporting the MS community and this is a commitment that we each take very personally. I'm especially proud that hundreds of our employees will be participating as part of Team Novartis in more than 20 National MS Society Bike MS events across the country."

Together in MS builds on the success of NOW and Novartis' collaborative 2011 initiative, which inspired thousands of people while cycling over 650 miles at 10 Bike MS events throughout the country.

For more information about Together in MS, including a schedule of rides and events and ways to show support or become involved, visit www.TogetherInMS.com.

Multiple Sclerosis

While there is still much to be understood about multiple sclerosis, it is thought to be an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system the brain, spinal cord and nerve fibers to the eyes. MS is chronic, progressive and often debilitating. Over 400,000 Americans and more than 2.1 million people worldwide are affected by MS.

Disclaimer

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "will," "looking forward to," "committed," "commitment," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential future revenues from Novartis MS products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that Novartis MS products will achieve any particular levels of revenue in the future. In particular, management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected clinical trial results, including unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; unexpected manufacturing issues; the impact that the foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Novartis Group's assets and liabilities as recorded in the Group's consolidated balance sheet, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Located in East Hanover, New Jersey, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2011, the Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 58.6 billion, while approximately USD 9.6 billion (USD 9.2 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges) was invested in R&D throughout the Group. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 124,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.